


Finding Home

by MalfoysAngel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: HPFT, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 09:31:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8281078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalfoysAngel/pseuds/MalfoysAngel
Summary: Draco responds to an ad in the Daily Prophet for a roommate and gets much more than he bargained for when he discovers the person who placed the ad is someone he tormented in school.
Thanks to ImaRavenclaw at HPFT for being willing to beta for me.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rosehedwig243](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosehedwig243/gifts).



“I want to go home.” I’ve been saying those words for four years now, the only problem is, I don’t know where home is.

 

I was kicked out of the Manor and cut off financially after I refused to abide by a stupid pureblood tradition that would have required me to marry Astoria Greengrass to help ensure the purity of the bloodlines of the sacred twenty-eight. I’ll spare you the boring details but the conversation involved a lot of yelling from my father and a lot of crying from my mother. I haven’t spoken to either of them since.

 

Since that night, I’ve been living with Blaise and Pansy in a flat near Hogsmeade while I worked at the Hog’s Head to pay my way through Healer school. I had four years to go! We’ve had our ups and downs since the war like any friends will do, but together we’ve helped each other heal. They know my darkest secret. They know all about how I stood by and watched the girl I’ve secretly loved since third year get tortured by my aunt. They know how that was the moment I decided I wanted to fight for the other side, that I wanted to see The Chosen One defeat The Dark Lord.

 

Everyone at school thought I’d wind up with Pansy after Hogwarts but the truth is, all it ever was with her was a schoolgirl crush. There was never any sort of relationship between the two of us, besides friendship. Now in a couple months she’s marrying Blaise and they’ve asked me to find somewhere else to live in order for them to have some much needed alone time.

 

I had been looking for a new place for a while now, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to afford one on my own, especially not on my salary. I knew a roommate would be necessary so I began to scour the Daily Prophet’s Classifieds to see if I could find a new temporary home.

After a few days of searching, I came across an ad that struck my interest:

 

_**ROOMMATE WANTED: 2b/2ba** _

_Must be between the ages of 17-21 and have a job._

_Must be willing to split living costs_

_Monthly Rent: 20 Galleons_

_If interested, please send an owl to the prophet referencing ad #8675309_

_No_ couples _please_

_HG_

 

20 Galleons was a little above my price range but if there was someone willing to accept me, I’d manage since we’d be splitting living costs. I quickly grabbed a quill and a spare bit of parchment and sent a response.

 

_HG,_

 

_I’m responding to your ad in the Daily Prophet regarding a roommate, I’m interested and would like to arrange a meeting to see the flat and negotiate a possible agreement._

 

_Yours,_

 

_DM_

 

I addressed it to the Daily Prophet’s Classified section and made sure to reference the proper ad number and then sent it off with Blaise’s owl. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind.

 

A short time later, there was a tapping at the window. Blaise’s owl had returned and attached to its leg was a letter addressed to DM. As I’m the only one in the flat with those initials, I thought it was safe to assume the letter was for me. I removed the letter and was shocked to see that it was from the person who placed the ad.

 

_DM,_

 

_Thank you for responding to my ad. As the room won’t be ready for about eight weeks, I would like to take the time to exchange letters for the next four weeks in an effort to get to know you before we meet. I think at least knowing the basics would make the transition easier when the room is ready, if we decide to share the lease. My roommate is getting married in six weeks and will need the time to get things packed and ready to move in with her husband. If you are willing please send a reply at your earliest convenience with any questions you want to ask about me, and I’ll do the same for you. I’d prefer to keep my name secret until we meet. If you wish, feel free to do the same._

 

_All the best,_

 

_HG_

 

I briefly wondered why they wished to keep their name secret, then realized that it would probably be a good idea to keep mine a secret for a while as well. The whole former death eater thing did tend to drive away potential roommates. I sat down for a couple hours trying to come up with some questions that I could ask that wouldn’t pry too much. Finally admitting defeat, I decided to just give my potential roommate a basic rundown of information and go from there.

 

_HG,_

 

_I understand completely about wanting to stay anonymous for now. If you knew who I was right away, you might change your mind about even wanting to exchange letters and I would be out a potential roommate. My roommates are getting married soon and I have about eight weeks to find a new place to live since they want the flat to themselves. I can’t say I blame them, if I was a newlywed, I wouldn’t want a roommate around all the time._

 

_Instead of questions, I thought I’d give you the basics and go from there then if there’s anything else you want to know you can ask or just wait another 3 weeks and find out for yourself._

 

_I finished Hogwarts last year but would have finished in 1998 if the war hadn’t gotten in the way. I won’t tell you what house I was in since that would narrow down who I am quite a bit. I wasn’t the best student of my year, that title belongs to Hermione Granger. I’m currently attending my first year of healer school and working at a pub to pay my way through school. My parents cut me off financially after I refused to follow centuries old family traditions. I like to think that I’m pretty skilled in potions which is what I want to specialize in when I finish healer school. I want to study various potions and their effects when taken together and develop new ones to better combat wizarding ailments such as dragon pox and lycanthropy. In my free time I enjoy reading and have recently discovered the joys of classic muggle literature. When I have the opportunity I spend time in Wales playing non-professional quidditch and find it more intense than what I played before and during my time at Hogwarts. I have to admit that I don’t know what else to say without giving my identity away, but I am wondering what your blood status is. If you don’t want to answer this, I understand. Blood status doesn’t matter to me but I am genuinely curious. If you’re muggle-born, I would love to learn more about the muggle world. I’m a pure-blood and have no experience with anything muggle related._

 

_I think this is an excellent idea by the way, that way if we do decide to room together, we’re not total strangers._

 

_All the best,_

 

_DM_

  _P.S._ _I currently do not have an owl of my own, if you have one and you don’t mind can we please use yours to correspond so I’m not always borrowing the one that belongs to my roommates._

 

By the time I finished writing, Blaise and Pansy were back from wedding planning and I explained what my arrangement was with this potential roommate and asked if I could borrow Blaise’s owl on occasion to send my letters. He agreed, but warned me not to tire her out too much. I quickly tied my letter to the owl and sent her on her way.

 

About a week later, I got a response delivered by a beautiful barn owl.

 

_DM,_

 

_Thank you for understanding my request to remain anonymous, but it does make me wonder even more who you are. We were in the same year at Hogwarts, and like you, I won’t tell you what house I was in or what side I was on during the war._

 

_I’m currently training at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I hope to one day be head of the department and draft new laws that will grant new rights to house elves and werewolves. I won’t go into more details than that since I know the topic is boring to some people and I really could write a book on my ideas. I also hope to one-day rewrite_ _Hogwarts: A History_ _and_ _A History of Magic_ _to help paint werewolves in a positive light and give a first person account of the events of the Second War. I think it’s pretty admirable of you to try to find a cure for lycanthropy; I only wish our old Professor Lupin was still alive to see it happen._

 

_I love to read and dance but don’t get to do either as often as I would like, my job tends to have me work long hours preparing statements and managing hearing dates. Most of the time I’m so tired from reading depositions and researching old case files that I’m too exhausted to read for fun or spend a night on the town. Like you, I enjoy Jane Austen and other classical authors like Victor Hugo, Leo Tolstoy, and Thomas Hardy, but the Bronte sisters are my favorite._

 

_I’m afraid to tell you my blood status since despite the war, I know some people still believe in and support the old way of life, but since you were willing to tell me yours, I’m a muggle-born. The apartment is a mix of muggle and wizarding objects and as long as you are willing to learn I’m willing to teach you everything I can on the condition you refuse to look at it in disgust, Malfoy._

 

My jaw hit the floor at the last sentence. How did they figure out who I was? Sure my chances are ruined, I take a deep breath and keep reading.

 

_I’m sure you’re wondering how I figured out it was you. Well see, you made the mistake of mentioning that you were in the same year I was and that you were a pure-blood. That narrowed the field and the initials DM meant that you could be none other than Draco Malfoy. While I’m not too crazy about the idea of sharing a flat with you, I’m desperate and you’re the only one who responded to the ad so I’m willing to give you a shot if you can leave the past in the past and your prejudices at the door. Meet me at Gringotts at noon on Monday and we will discuss the terms of the lease with a third party present. If after meeting me, you’re still willing to share the flat._

 

_HG_

 

I arrive at Gringotts on Monday and get escorted to an office in the legal department. When the door is opened, all I can see is a goblin and as I step into the room, my jaw hits the floor as I realize who I’ve been writing to the last few weeks.

 

“Granger!?”


End file.
